News & Updates
Garney Construction Taking Over Vista Ridge Water Pipeline
Missouri-based Garney Construction is now the owner of the Vista Ridge water pipeline project after attorneys representing the construction firm, former owner Abengoa Vista Ridge, and other partners came to an agreement on Tuesday afternoon. Garney was already a...
Austin homebuyers are moving farther from city center amid rising home prices
In recent years, urbanization has become a dominant narrative in American cities like Austin. Since the 1990s, Austin has touted the "smart growth" concept, which should have more people rushing to live centrally rather than in suburbs. And downtown Austin is indeed a...
Abengoa is out, and Vista Ridge is stronger than ever
One of the two great ironies of the Vista Ridge saga is how Abengoa was supposed to bolster the controversial water project but instead became an albatross that threatened to doom the pipeline before it ever could be built. As a behemoth in clean energy technologies,...
Lone Star rail dodges ‘kill shot’ but put under microscope
The rail district that has spent a decade and more than $26 million looking into a Georgetown to San Antonio commuter line, floundering after Union Pacific shut off the possibility of using its freight tracks, for now has survived one move to cut off critical funding....
TWDB announces the 2015 Texas Rain Catcher Award recipients
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) announced today the recipients of its annual Texas Rain Catcher Award, a rainwater harvesting competition and recognition program. The award recipients have displayed excellence in rainwater harvesting in Texas in five...
“Dark Skies” comes to the Frio Canyon
Barbara Baggett of Stars Over Utopia, a Keep Utopia Beautiful project,will present an educational program at the Utopia Senior Center on April 1 at 11:00 am. for a potluck lunch. The program is a collaboration of the Hill Country Alliance and International Dark Skies...
Environmental group sues water pipeline partner for information
Arguing that partners in a proposed multibillion-dollar water pipeline proposed for Austin’s eastern flank should divulge more information about the workings of the project, an Austin environmental group has filed an open records lawsuit in state District Court. The...
Texas Farm and Ranch Lands Conservation Council Approves $1.4 Million in Grant Awards
The Texas Farm and Ranch Lands Conservation Council today approved land trust funding totaling $1.4 million for a wide array of conservation easements to help bring more than 14,300 acres of the state’s high-value working farm and ranch lands under long term...
Rainwater Harvest as a solution to drought and flood?
Stormwater is starting to get some serious attention in California, as the state’s drought enters a fifth year. Thanks in part to El Niño, rain has been surging through downspouts and gutters lately. And a lot of it: one storm in Los Angeles County, packing one inch...